Insights

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

–Shunryü Suzuki

Neuroscientists posit that in order for humans to function, approximately 95 percent of thought, emotion, and learning occur in the nonconscious mind. In fact, if you want to know what someone truly needs (or thinks), sometimes the worst thing you can do is ask them. That’s why marketers must uncover not only social and environmental influences, but the psychological underpinnings that drive behavior: personal motivations and self-identity drivers, aspirations and fears.

Brandtrust specializes in implicit insights—otherwise known as System 1 thinking. According to Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, System 1 thinking is “the brain’s fast, automatic, intuitive approach.” We prioritize implicit insights over explicit in order to reveal the underlying human narrative that helps client teams truly understand and connect to the people they serve.

We’ve found this prioritization of implicit insights is the best method for breakthrough learning, where we get to the deepest of truths. When we tap into the beginner’s mind, and achieve discipline in asking better questions, the answers we receive garner us unmatched insight. This excursion into the human narrative acts as the critical foundation for crafting smarter strategies, achievable ingenious innovations, and memorable customer experiences.

Rooted in applied social and behavioral sciences, our research processes and methodologies include: